China: Bishop appointed by the Vatican arrested by the authorities

A bishop appointed by the Vatican arrested by the Chinese government over charges of not being officially sanctioned by the state. Vatican-appointed coadjutor bishop of Wenzhou, Msgr. Peter Shao Zhumin, was hooked earlier this week. For a long time, bishops appointed by the Communist state officials are allowed to serve.

In line with details, bishop of Wenzhou, Msgr. Peter Shao Zhumin was preparing for the funeral of Msgr. Vincent Zhu Weifang, the original Bishop of Wenzhou who had passed away earlier this week. Police took Msgr. Shao to northwest China, while his secretary, Father Paul Jiang Sunian, who is also not sanctioned by the state was led by police to Yunnan.

It was stated by an international news source that “the bishop and the priests were taken away from the city to thwart a peaceful succession of Msgr. Shao episcopate of Wenzhou.” Members from the underground church community will not be allowed to attend the funeral nonetheless, around 400 people have been allowed to celebrate the mass during the bishop’s funeral.

United Sates Commission for International Religious Freedom in its report stated: “China’s severe religious freedom violations continued in 2015. While the Chinese government sought to further assert itself on the global stage, at home it pursued policies to diminish the voices of individuals and organizations advocating for human rights and genuine rule of law.”

“In May 2015, authorities in Zhejiang Province circulated draft regulations governing the color, size and location of religious signs, symbols, and structures. While the regulations apply to all religious markers, the move aligned with provincial officials’ systematic efforts in recent years to forcibly remove church crosses in Zhejiang Province, an area with a high concentration of Christians. Officially branded the “Three Rectifications and One Demolition” campaign, Chinese authorities use the pretext of building code violations to target houses of worship, particularly churches, as illegal structures.”